Last updated: 26 October 2026
David Hockney was the Bradford-born painter of swimming pools, Yorkshire landscapes and iPad drawings. He died in June 2026. Here you will find our take on his work, where to see David Hockney now (some of it free), prints and books you can buy, recent auction results and our reviews.
Our take on David Hockney
Hockney kept looking until the end. “What does the world look like? I don’t think it looks like photographs. You have to find out for yourself, you have to draw it,” he said, as quoted in the Royal Academy’s obituary. He moved between paint, photocollage, printmaking and the iPad, which he used to draw by moonlight in Normandy.
We saw his show at Annely Juda Fine Art over the winter of 2025, where The Moon Room, fifteen iPad pictures from 2020, was the quiet highlight. Then, in spring 2026, the Serpentine showed his 90-metre frieze A Year in Normandie. He died on 11 June 2026, a month before his 89th birthday.
Original David Hockney prints are expensive but not impossible: a 1966 Cavafy etching is on sale in London for £1,500, while his recent large prints make six figures at auction. His catalogues and books, many sold at Salts Mill in Saltaire, are the easiest way in.
David Hockney: the essentials
- Born in Bradford on 9 July 1937 and died at home on 11 June 2026, according to Pace Gallery.
- Studied at Bradford School of Art from 1953 to 1957 and at the Royal College of Art from 1959 to 1962.
- Moved to Los Angeles in 1964, back to Yorkshire in the early 2000s, to Normandy in 2019 and to London in 2023.
- Elected a Royal Academician in 1985. Made a Companion of Honour in 1997 and appointed to the Order of Merit in 2012.
- Tate owns A Bigger Splash (1967), on display at Tate Britain, and Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (1970 to 1971).
- Shown by Pace and by Annely Juda Fine Art in London, one of his longest-standing galleries.
Where to see David Hockney now
- Free, until 1 November: David Hockney: Sunley Window 2026, a 7 x 10 metre window of a Normandy sunrise, Turner Contemporary, Margate.
- Now on: Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now, a group show including Hockney’s 1970 tapestry, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, 23 October 2026 to 21 March 2027, pay what you can. Listed by the Hockney estate.
- Free: A Bigger Splash at Tate Britain, and the long-running Hockney galleries at Salts Mill, Saltaire.
- David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, Serpentine North, London, 12 March to 23 August 2026.
- Some Very, Very, Very New Paintings Not Yet Shown in Paris, Annely Juda Fine Art, London, 7 November 2025 to 28 February 2026. Read our review.
Recent David Hockney auction results
Market signals
Averages over the last 36 months, in US dollars
Figures from the Artsy price database. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Hockney has one of the busiest markets of any British artist, with around 339 lots a year. Two recent London results show the range:
- The Only One with Waves, 1991, oil on canvas. Sold for £2,423,000 against an estimate of £1,800,000 to £2,500,000 at Phillips London, 26 June 2026, the first Hockney painting at auction after his death, per the Phillips results.
- In The Studio, 2019, inkjet print, signed and numbered 21/35, sheet 86.4 x 109.2 cm (34 x 43 in). Sold for £104,240 against an estimate of £100,000 to £150,000 at Roseberys London, 18 February 2026.
Prices include buyer’s premium. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Where to buy David Hockney prints and books
An original print is within reach, and the books and catalogues are easy to find:
- Beautiful and White Flowers, 1966, £1,500: an original etching and aquatint from his Cavafy series, 34.3 x 22.9 cm (13.5 x 9 in), edition of 500, framed, one in stock at Abbott and Holder.
- Some Very, Very, Very New Paintings Not Yet Shown in Paris, £20: the hardback catalogue of the Annely Juda show we reviewed, from the Salts Mill shop.
- A Year in Normandie catalogue, £30: the Serpentine’s 2026 catalogue, from the Serpentine shop.
- Spring Cannot be Cancelled, £14.99: his conversations with Martin Gayford in paperback, from Thames & Hudson.
Our reviews featuring David Hockney
- David Hockney at Annely Juda Fine Art review.
- British Art Fair review, with the David Hockney: A British Eye tribute.
David Hockney prints and editions on CoolCuration
David Hockney FAQs
When did David Hockney die?
On 11 June 2026, at home, a month before his 89th birthday, according to his gallery, Pace.
Where can I see David Hockney’s work for free?
A Bigger Splash at Tate Britain, the Salts Mill galleries in Saltaire, and the Turner Contemporary window in Margate until 1 November 2026.
How much is a David Hockney print?
Early etchings start at around £1,500 from dealers. Recent large signed prints have sold for over £100,000 at auction.
Where is Salts Mill?
In Saltaire, near Bradford, West Yorkshire. Entry to its Hockney galleries is free.
More from CoolCuration
- British Art Fair review: where we found a Hockney for £800.
- Van Gogh Sunflowers print: another painter of flowers and fields, as a print you can buy.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting without auction prices.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: David Hockney, 2005. Photo: Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, © David Hockney, courtesy Pace Gallery. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices and auction results last checked: 26 October 2026.
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